Jesus Teaches that God Dwells in Us

The practical conclusion of the first teaching of St. Francis is that if we listen and pray, God will show us what we are to do with our lives. In Francis's life it had to do with intimacy with God in God's Son, Jesus Christ, whom he found first in the lepers, and then in repairing the dwelling place of God; first in God's churches and then in repairing the believing community, the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church. The latter rebuilding had to do with repairing human relationships by, in Francis's words, "working mercy" with them. God indwells churches as he indwelled the Ark of the Covenant. God indwells people just as he had first become human in Jesus Christ. And God indwells the gathering of believers, which we call the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, the fullness of the Incarnation of God.

—from the book Surrounded by Love: Seven Teachings from Saint Francis

† QUOTE "There is still time for endurance, time for patience, time for healing, time for change. Have you slipped? Rise up. Have you sinned? Cease. Do not stand among sinners, but leap aside." — St. Basil the Great

† MEDITATION OF THE DAY "A man must go through a long and great conflict in himself before he can learn fully to overcome himself, and to draw his whole affection towards God. When a man stands upon himself he is easily drawn aside after human comforts. But a true lover of Christ, and a diligent pursuer of virtue, does not hunt after comforts, nor seek such sensible sweetnesses, but is rather willing to bear strong trials and hard labors for Christ." — Thomas a' Kempis, p. 64 AN EXCERPT FROM Imitation of Christ

† VERSE OF THE DAY "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:35-37

click to read more

Saint Theodora Guérin

(October 2, 1798 – May 14, 1856)

Trust in God's Providence enabled Mother Theodore to leave her homeland, sail halfway around the world, and found a new religious congregation.

Born in Etables, France, Anne-Thérèse Guerin's life was shattered by her father's murder when she was 15. For several years, she cared for her mother and younger sister. She entered the Sisters of Providence in 1823, taking the name Sister Saint Theodore. An illness during novitiate left her with lifelong fragile health, but that did not keep her from becoming an accomplished teacher.

At the invitation of the bishop of Vincennes, Indiana, Sr. Saint Theodore and five sisters were sent in 1840 to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, to teach and to care for the sick poor. She was to establish a motherhouse and novitiate. Only later did she learn that her French superiors had already decided the sisters in the United States should form a new religious congregation under her leadership.

Mother Theodore and her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against Catholic women religious, misunderstandings, and separation from their original religious congregation. She once told her sisters, "Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us. The way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful." Another time she asked, "With Jesus, what shall we have to fear?"

Mother Theodore is buried in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. She was beatified in 1998, and canonized as Saint Theodora Guerin eight years later.

Reflection God's work gets done by people ready to take risks and to work hard—always remembering what Saint Paul told the Corinthians, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth." Every holy person has a strong sense of God's Providence.

Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Jb 9:1-12, 14-16

Job answered his friends and said:

I know well that it is so; but how can a man be justified before God? Should one wish to contend with him, he could not answer him once in a thousand times. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has withstood him and remained unscathed?

He removes the mountains before they know it; he overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars beneath it tremble. He commands the sun, and it rises not; he seals up the stars.

He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea. He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south; He does great things past finding out, marvelous things beyond reckoning.

Should he come near me, I see him not; should he pass by, I am not aware of him; Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay? Who can say to him, "What are you doing?"

How much less shall I give him any answer, or choose out arguments against him! Even though I were right, I could not answer him, but should rather beg for what was due me. If I appealed to him and he answered my call, I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15 R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord. Daily I call upon you, O LORD; to you I stretch out my hands. Will you work wonders for the dead? Will the shades arise to give you thanks? R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord. Do they declare your mercy in the grave, your faithfulness among those who have perished? Are your wonders made known in the darkness, or your justice in the land of oblivion? R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord. But I, O LORD, cry out to you; with my morning prayer I wait upon you. Why, O LORD, do you reject me; why hide from me your face? R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

Alleluia Phil 3:8-9 R. Alleluia, alleluia. I consider all things so much rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 9:57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." Jesus answered him, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God."

Meditation: Luke 9:57-62

Jesus answered him. (Luke 9:58)

As Jesus begins his final journey to Jerusalem, he is approached by three different would-be followers. Each of them wants to follow him, but their responsibilities and concerns seem to give them pause. In answer to their requests, Jesus makes it clear that following him isn't always easy. He offered them a reality check so that they could clarify their motivations and decide whether they really wanted to be his disciples. And so he cut below the surface of their words to address their real questions.

Notice how each of these people responds to Jesus' invitation by talking about their life circumstances—a funeral, a family farewell, a concern about housing. Jesus responds not only to what they say on the surface, but also to their deepest motivations, fears, and intentions. One of Jesus' answers reveals that the person approaching him probably has false expectations of comfort and ease. By another response, he helps a disciple face his unwillingness to make sacrifices.

Jesus is never unkind, but he is honest. He answered each person who came to him in a way that showed them the next down-to-earth step they had to take in answering Jesus' radical call.

Jesus can help you to see yourself more clearly as well. He knows how faithfully you are following him. He knows how much you love him. He wants to show you not only how your walk with him is strong, but also where you need more of his grace. His goal is always to help you be realistic about his call to discipleship. But as costly as the journey may be, he also wants to assure you that he is walking with you every step of the way.

So talk with Jesus today. Tell him that you want to follow him. But also tell him about what's going on in your life right now and any hesitation you might have. Let him answer you as he answered the people in today's Gospel so that you can understand your motivations a little better. Then you'll be ready for the next step along the journey with Jesus.

"Jesus, I want to walk with you as the disciples did. Help me see the next realistic step I need to take today."

Job 9:1-12, 14-16 Psalm 88:10-15

my2cents: "Who can say to him, "What are you doing?" yet, this is the biggest question everyone has, especially an...unbeliever. Who has the most inquisitive minds. I read a quick ChurchPop story that said that the Church does not want us to name our guardian angel. You don't know your guardian angel's name, neither shall you inquire. You will never know. If God wants you to know, He will tell the angel to make the name known. I have a hard time with people saying that their angel watching them is a family member that just died. How do you know? Who told you? Just like I have a hard time with people telling me they are going to hell, or they are going straight to Heaven. What about God's grace, does He not have a say? We don't know what god is doing. What about faith? What about this gift from Heaven? What about trusting the great unknown...our Lord? Isn't that what faith is about? A truly blind love? Do you have to see everything for yourself to believe? There is a blessing for believing without seeing....says our Lord!

Let my prayer come before you, Lord." They say that one can not see God. If you do...you will perish. If He were to touch you, you would die. They say that when God would accept a sacrifice it would go up in smoke, on the altars. God therefore, can touch us through a feeble to feeble touch. We are feeble. God's touch comes through sensitive instruments. What is God and what is He made of? Be prepared to lose your life to find out.

In comes the Son of God, who became a sensitive instrument: An instrument with senses to touch the world. Sacredness to be a horn of salvation. His every word is a horn blast from Heaven. Some couldn't take it and covered their ears, like when He said "chew on my body if you want to have life everlasting". People ran and ran fast from Him. Today, some would-be followers came. Said they wanted to follow. Jesus said Ok, here's the deal...and they turned and ran. Like the rich young man who walked away sad because the rich man realized what all it was going to cost him to follow Christ. It'd cost your whole life. To understand God, it's going to take your whole life. A million year life would maybe get a glimpse of who and how awesome He is. With the youth, they were asked what was most important to their heart, and I took the same questions to the adults in Colorado. Then, they were asked what would you fight for, and I said, what would you die for? I asked for one answer, many gave several. One little girl mentioned "gender equality". Really? Not a single answer was like "I would die for you God". It was for other things, ideals, people, and even coveted family.

I know of many torn hearts because people love family above all. A husband kills himself because a wife leaves him. Family. A mother dies inside when her child dies. Family. A child loses all hope and joy when parents divorce. Family. Really? That's our hope? That's our faith? That's what we put all our lives on? What about God?

So I took the adults to Our Father in the Church. I sang a song about sacrificial love, of an exemplary love of a Father, to show true love. As Jesus hung on the cross I said to everyone "How many of you tells your Father that you love Him every single day?" And how many times a day?

Right now, all my family, siblings and parents are calling and calling me "where are you?" they are all gathered eating for a birthday. Family. My family are those who do our Father's will. I told the adults "at work you are like a family, at school, and at home and they all have a pull on your soul" but here, this is God's family. Enter a vision of Heaven. Angels have no will but God's. They died to find God.

You need that kind of burning love connection. You need that to be an angel...a messenger of God. An angel has been assigned to you. And you are being assigned as a prophet in an angelic movement. You are carrying one of the greatest things ever... the WORD And He enters under our roof....

adrian

For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. For more go to www.Going4th.com